My daughter's desire to have everything under the sun for Christmas, regardless of whether it's age or gender appropriate (seriously, honey, what would you do with that espresso machine?), made me think of the presents my former 6th grade students had bestowed upon me over my years at the elementary school.
You see, presents for teachers are divided up into categories.
1) The presents that will make the teacher next door jealous (gift certificates to your favorite restaurant or Starbucks would fall under this category. See's "nuts and chews" candy also falls under this category).
2) The useful presents as long as you don't get too many of them (coffee mugs, school supplies, cute teacher gifts, smelly lotiony stuff)
3) The stuff you put in the teacher's lounge because you are going to start that diet soon (candy other than See's nuts and chews, homemade cookies and breads, etc...)
4) The stuff you have to gulp when you see it and then smile and say, "Oh, THANK you. Wow. That's really something."
After my first year of teaching I learned that when it comes to getting their teacher Christmas gifts, kids have the mind of a steel trap and will remember anything you say and they watch you like a hawk. For instance, one year I made an off-handed remark about how I liked chocolate when I was stressed. That same year I made some sort of "oh, how cute" comment when some girl brought her Hello, Kitty pencil box to school. That Christmas, all I got was chocolate and Hello, Kitty items for Christmas. No, that's a lie, I also got a coffee mug filled with candy.
I decided to start experimenting. One year, around October, I started bringing a Starbucks to school every morning and saying things like, "Oh, I'm sorry, I just can't function until I have finished my coffee."
Sure enough that Christmas I received about 10 Starbucks cards. It was awesome.
I started wondering what else I could get if I really put effort into it. So then, I would say things like, "Oh, I can hardly WAIT to go to dinner at Islands tonight." "I saw the cutest blouse at Nordstrom Rack the other day." "I just can't get enough of this Starbucks coffee."
Some years it worked better than others, but about 7 years into teaching, I thought I had the system down and I was surfing the big wave of good teacher Christmas gifts.
Then...there was the year of the dolphin snow globe statue.
There I was, opening my See's candy, teacher mugs, gift cards, the like and then...the really heavy bag with lots and lots of tissue paper.
"My, this is heavy. Whatever could it be?"
As I dug my way through Christmas tissue paper, with the giver of the gift staring anxiously at me with a huge grin on her face, I unwrapped what had to be the biggest knick-knack disaster I have ever seen. It was a statue. It was a snow globe. It was a statue and a snow globe in these gloriously bright colors. It was a statue with a snow globe of gloriously bright colors surrounded by a dolphin in huge cresting waves about to break over it's head.
I think I said something like, "Holy Cow!"
I remember thanking the girl and setting the statue on my desk.
When the bell rang for lunch, I carried it, like a baby, into the Teacher's Lounge with me and set it on a table.
My friend, Karen, walked in the lounge loudly proclaiming the joys of Christmas break until she saw the dolphin thing.
"Wow. What's that?"
"A Christmas gift from a student."
And she laughed out loud.
Another teacher who came into the lounge said, "Hey, it's not so bad. One year I got a coupon for carpet cleaning as my present."
If you're wondering, I didn't keep the dolphin statue. But I did continue loving the student who gave it to me.
And I slowed down on the pimping for gift cards. Kids get their teachers what they want to. And it makes for better Teacher's Lounge stories that way.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
What could go wrong when you mix bacon and heavy cream??
So I call this recipe "Throw-stuff-together-from-the-kitchen-because-you-don't-want-to-go-out-and-face-the-'black-Friday'-crowds" recipe. "Stuff from the kitchen" for short.
Here's what I did. And I am no gourmet cook, like my Dad or anything, but I think it turned out good. And I made it from scratch. And I created the recipe all on my own. These are all monumental achievements that should be noted because they may never happen again.
I refused to go out "there" today. It's Black Friday. One glimpse of the stampeding crowd told me stay far away. Plus, I've done most of my shopping online at 3 in the morning when the baby gets his bottle.
So, here's what I did.
I found great northern beans in my cupboard. I threw a cup of them in my dutch oven (that's gourmet for "big pot you can cook things in") with 6-8 cups of water, brought them to a boil, let them boil for several minutes, and then let them sit for an hour. I should be clear these are the packaged beans, not the canned. You can use canned if you are short on time.
I strained them and then threw them in a crockpot. I added a bunch of chicken stock (enough to cover the beans and then some) and some other stuff. Here's the stuff:
A dash or two of kosher salt
A ton (like 4 or 5 cloves) of mashed (pressed) garlic
Penzy's Turkish Seasoning (I'm telling you-get some!) It's basicallysweet paprika, salt, cumin, peppercorn, garlic, (yes, more garlic, don't judge me) oregano, sumac (?), and cayenne pepper.
It's kinda spicy without being obnoxiously so.
About a glass of white wine.
Then I let it sit on low for 3 or 4 hours. I lost track. When I decided it wasn't moving along fast enough, I cranked it from low to high and (get this) added more Turkish Seasoning, garlic salt, and about 3/4 cup heavy cream. Oh and somewhere in there I threw in a Tablespoon of bacon grease that I have in the freezer. (or was it fridge?)
After about an hour, I added some cut up leftover turkey. I let it go for another 45 minutes or so and then I added 3 pieces of bacon cooked and torn up and some shredded asiago cheese. I stirred it altogether and served it with some leftover olive bread we had on hand.
It was REALLY, REALLY good. The only thing I would say is don't be afraid of adding more salt, pepper, and garlic to taste. Other than that, it was yummy.
And I didn't have to go out once today. I have no idea how many calories it is. Depends on if you go back for seconds.
Here's what I did. And I am no gourmet cook, like my Dad or anything, but I think it turned out good. And I made it from scratch. And I created the recipe all on my own. These are all monumental achievements that should be noted because they may never happen again.
I refused to go out "there" today. It's Black Friday. One glimpse of the stampeding crowd told me stay far away. Plus, I've done most of my shopping online at 3 in the morning when the baby gets his bottle.
So, here's what I did.
I found great northern beans in my cupboard. I threw a cup of them in my dutch oven (that's gourmet for "big pot you can cook things in") with 6-8 cups of water, brought them to a boil, let them boil for several minutes, and then let them sit for an hour. I should be clear these are the packaged beans, not the canned. You can use canned if you are short on time.
I strained them and then threw them in a crockpot. I added a bunch of chicken stock (enough to cover the beans and then some) and some other stuff. Here's the stuff:
A dash or two of kosher salt
A ton (like 4 or 5 cloves) of mashed (pressed) garlic
Penzy's Turkish Seasoning (I'm telling you-get some!) It's basicallysweet paprika, salt, cumin, peppercorn, garlic, (yes, more garlic, don't judge me) oregano, sumac (?), and cayenne pepper.
It's kinda spicy without being obnoxiously so.
About a glass of white wine.
Then I let it sit on low for 3 or 4 hours. I lost track. When I decided it wasn't moving along fast enough, I cranked it from low to high and (get this) added more Turkish Seasoning, garlic salt, and about 3/4 cup heavy cream. Oh and somewhere in there I threw in a Tablespoon of bacon grease that I have in the freezer. (or was it fridge?)
After about an hour, I added some cut up leftover turkey. I let it go for another 45 minutes or so and then I added 3 pieces of bacon cooked and torn up and some shredded asiago cheese. I stirred it altogether and served it with some leftover olive bread we had on hand.
It was REALLY, REALLY good. The only thing I would say is don't be afraid of adding more salt, pepper, and garlic to taste. Other than that, it was yummy.
And I didn't have to go out once today. I have no idea how many calories it is. Depends on if you go back for seconds.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Rock and Roux
My Step-Dad, whom I from now on will call "Dad" because that's what I call him, has a philosophy that can best be defined as "Jackson Browne/John Lennon/Bob Seger/ Little Feat" with a touch of gourmet cooking thrown in.
Basically my Dad thinks everyone should know how to rock and they should know how to roux.
The "rock" part I never had a problem with. To prove that my Dad taught me how to rock, I would have no knowledge of Bob Seger, Johnny Lang, Little Feat, Sting, or Bryan Adams if it weren't for him. In fact, when I was in High School and I told him I wanted the new Pat Benetar album for Christmas, I thought I saw him grin from ear to ear. When I told him I wanted the new Rick Springfield for my birthday, I thought I saw him hang his head in shame.
The "roux" took me a little longer to catch on to. In fact, my Dad used to quote some cajun song that had a line that said, "Baby, can you roux?" and I had no idea what he was talking about.
But once I learned how to roux, I was rouxing all over the place.
A basic roux (that's french for "roo") is this:
For every Tablespoon of butter you melt in a pan, you must use a Tablespoon of flour and a Cup of Liquid.
What kind of liquid and other ingredients you use depends on you.
This is my most recent example:
My husband came home with a 7 pound (!) pork tenderloin that he found on sale in the grocery store. On sale is very big in my husband's family. If it's on sale, it must be good. But that's another blog.
Anyway, he found this pork tenderloin on sale and brought it home. I was actually excited because I like pork tenderloin and hey, half off is half off. After my meat buying fiasco with the meat truck (see previous blog), I wasn't about to criticize my husband for a great deal even if I did have NO IDEA what I was going to do with the thing.
I decided on cutting the huge hunk of meat in half and cooking one half one night and the other half the next night. I created a rub made of kosher salt, pepper, thyme, sage, and Turkish Seasoning (Google "Penzy's Spices"). I threw about 4 pounds of the pork in the oven at 350 degrees and cooked it for almost 2 hours.
But the awesome part of the meal was the roux. The sauce. The stuff that you pour on top that makes everything amazing.
Because we were having a friend over for dinner, I doubled my Dad's pork sauce recipe.
I melted 2 Tablespoons butter in a saucepan (don't let it burn) and added in 2 Tablespoons flour. Stir until the flour and butter are smooth and just barely beginning to bubble. Slowly pour in 2 cups of liquid of your choice. For this sauce it is 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup red wine, and 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce. Stir constantly on low-medium heat until sauce thickens and bubbles around the edges. Take off heat and then serve with meat.
YUM. I mean it. Yum.
Throw it over roasted garlic, rosemary, and onion cubed red potatoes too.
YUM!!
It's my Dad's recipe, so I can't take credit for it, but it makes me look like a darn good cook.
And it will make you look like a darn good cook too.
Basically my Dad thinks everyone should know how to rock and they should know how to roux.
The "rock" part I never had a problem with. To prove that my Dad taught me how to rock, I would have no knowledge of Bob Seger, Johnny Lang, Little Feat, Sting, or Bryan Adams if it weren't for him. In fact, when I was in High School and I told him I wanted the new Pat Benetar album for Christmas, I thought I saw him grin from ear to ear. When I told him I wanted the new Rick Springfield for my birthday, I thought I saw him hang his head in shame.
The "roux" took me a little longer to catch on to. In fact, my Dad used to quote some cajun song that had a line that said, "Baby, can you roux?" and I had no idea what he was talking about.
But once I learned how to roux, I was rouxing all over the place.
A basic roux (that's french for "roo") is this:
For every Tablespoon of butter you melt in a pan, you must use a Tablespoon of flour and a Cup of Liquid.
What kind of liquid and other ingredients you use depends on you.
This is my most recent example:
My husband came home with a 7 pound (!) pork tenderloin that he found on sale in the grocery store. On sale is very big in my husband's family. If it's on sale, it must be good. But that's another blog.
Anyway, he found this pork tenderloin on sale and brought it home. I was actually excited because I like pork tenderloin and hey, half off is half off. After my meat buying fiasco with the meat truck (see previous blog), I wasn't about to criticize my husband for a great deal even if I did have NO IDEA what I was going to do with the thing.
I decided on cutting the huge hunk of meat in half and cooking one half one night and the other half the next night. I created a rub made of kosher salt, pepper, thyme, sage, and Turkish Seasoning (Google "Penzy's Spices"). I threw about 4 pounds of the pork in the oven at 350 degrees and cooked it for almost 2 hours.
But the awesome part of the meal was the roux. The sauce. The stuff that you pour on top that makes everything amazing.
Because we were having a friend over for dinner, I doubled my Dad's pork sauce recipe.
I melted 2 Tablespoons butter in a saucepan (don't let it burn) and added in 2 Tablespoons flour. Stir until the flour and butter are smooth and just barely beginning to bubble. Slowly pour in 2 cups of liquid of your choice. For this sauce it is 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup red wine, and 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce. Stir constantly on low-medium heat until sauce thickens and bubbles around the edges. Take off heat and then serve with meat.
YUM. I mean it. Yum.
Throw it over roasted garlic, rosemary, and onion cubed red potatoes too.
YUM!!
It's my Dad's recipe, so I can't take credit for it, but it makes me look like a darn good cook.
And it will make you look like a darn good cook too.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
I can't HANDLE it...
If you haven't discovered the Pioneer Woman, you are missing out. Please google her and find her website. I really love her.
My favorite thing she has on her website lately is under her category of "Homeschooling".
The article refers to Jack Nicholson's character in "A Few Good Men" and his famous line "You can't HANDLE the truth!"
It was suggested that when you are feeling frustrated that you apply that famous line to your life.
For example:
" I can't find my pencil."
"You can't HANDLE the pencil!"
I'm about to try it out on my 3 year old. I'm about to say, "Bedtime."
She will say, "I don't want it to be bedtime."
I will reply, "You can't HANDLE the bedtime!"
I'll let you know how it works out.
With my luck the baby will wake up right then for a bottle and bedtime will be delayed.
Then she'll get to say, "You can't HANDLE the bottle!"
My favorite thing she has on her website lately is under her category of "Homeschooling".
The article refers to Jack Nicholson's character in "A Few Good Men" and his famous line "You can't HANDLE the truth!"
It was suggested that when you are feeling frustrated that you apply that famous line to your life.
For example:
" I can't find my pencil."
"You can't HANDLE the pencil!"
I'm about to try it out on my 3 year old. I'm about to say, "Bedtime."
She will say, "I don't want it to be bedtime."
I will reply, "You can't HANDLE the bedtime!"
I'll let you know how it works out.
With my luck the baby will wake up right then for a bottle and bedtime will be delayed.
Then she'll get to say, "You can't HANDLE the bottle!"
Fire!!
Once again, I am reflecting on the things that I have to be thankful for that I haven't done in awhile.
School fire drills.
It took me some time to distinguish between the fire drill buzz and the earthquake drill buzz. And then it took me some time to remember to bring out my class list to the playground so I could actually take attendance to make sure no one was left behind terribly injured or burning.
We would know ahead of time if we were going to have a fire drill because it was one of the things we went over in staff meetings. And the kids would know ahead of time because we would tell them. Because we foolishly thought telling them meant they wouldn't scream. And we thought asking them not to scream would mean they wouldn't scream.
6th graders are the worst screamers at fire drills.
"Okay, class, today we are going to have a fire drill."
"Really?" "When?" "A fire drill?" "But we just had one." "Can we stay out on the playground when it's over?"
"Yes. Later. Yes. I know. No....And let me remind you there is NO TALKING during a fire drill. NO TALKING while we line up. NO TALKING walking to the playground. NO TALKING when I take attendance. NO TALKING while we wait to go back to class. That also means NO SCREAMING when the bell goes off. Savvy?"
"Yes, Mrs. (whatever my name was at the time)."
And the day would move on at as normal a pace as you can get for 6th graders who know at any minute there could be a fire drill.
At some point during the day I would say, "Would you people just calm down?"
They liked it when I called them "you people". It was a step up from what I normally called them.
BUZZZZZZZ!!!
"AAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
"NO SCREAMING!! Just go line up!!"
I'm thankful I haven't done a fire drill in awhile.
School fire drills.
It took me some time to distinguish between the fire drill buzz and the earthquake drill buzz. And then it took me some time to remember to bring out my class list to the playground so I could actually take attendance to make sure no one was left behind terribly injured or burning.
We would know ahead of time if we were going to have a fire drill because it was one of the things we went over in staff meetings. And the kids would know ahead of time because we would tell them. Because we foolishly thought telling them meant they wouldn't scream. And we thought asking them not to scream would mean they wouldn't scream.
6th graders are the worst screamers at fire drills.
"Okay, class, today we are going to have a fire drill."
"Really?" "When?" "A fire drill?" "But we just had one." "Can we stay out on the playground when it's over?"
"Yes. Later. Yes. I know. No....And let me remind you there is NO TALKING during a fire drill. NO TALKING while we line up. NO TALKING walking to the playground. NO TALKING when I take attendance. NO TALKING while we wait to go back to class. That also means NO SCREAMING when the bell goes off. Savvy?"
"Yes, Mrs. (whatever my name was at the time)."
And the day would move on at as normal a pace as you can get for 6th graders who know at any minute there could be a fire drill.
At some point during the day I would say, "Would you people just calm down?"
They liked it when I called them "you people". It was a step up from what I normally called them.
BUZZZZZZZ!!!
"AAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
"NO SCREAMING!! Just go line up!!"
I'm thankful I haven't done a fire drill in awhile.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Math Lesson
A week ago last Friday as I was hauling the baby and my daughter out of my car, this service truck pulled up in front of our driveway. Two thoughts of why they would be there ran through my mind: 1) Maybe this is just like one of those suspense movies where all of a sudden I have to throw the kids back in the car, slam the car in reverse, and run into the truck as I back up into the street and race off for my life because they think I have something they want (Think "Enemy of the State") or 2) They're selling something.
Wouldn't it be my luck that it was #2.
It was one of those "we-sell-meat-by-the-box-so-you-get-an-amazing-price" type of meat trucks. Too bad for them I had already been swindled 11 years earlier by Colorado Meat Company (which if you remember, ended up on an evening episode of "Dateline" because of the way they were ripping people off-it was that bad). So when Joe and Dave stepped out of the truck and asked me if I eat meat, I said, "Rarely". Well, that got Joe salivating over the idea of a challenge and he started yanking out these boxes of meat explaining that they just "wanted to go home", but had to get rid of all this meat and would I be interested if I could get a discount? I explained that I was on a tight budget (gesturing toward my two little ones as if to say, "These guys are really expensive") so thanks, but no.
Joe really liked a challenge because that got him talking even more about how he could sell me this meat for an amazing price and where did I usually buy my meat...yadda...yadda...
Meanwhile, the three-year-old is starting the "c'mon, Mom" tug on my arm while I'm precariously balancing holding the car seat, the diaper bag, and my laptop.
Joe is opening boxes and spreading out vacuum packed meat on the sidewalk and Dave is playing bad cop to his good cop- "I don't know if we can let it go for that price" kind of thing.
Long story short- they had me at "Filet Mignon".
I was so proud of myself. What was first 6 boxes of meat for $389.00, was now $100.00 for 4 boxes of meat AND I could choose any 4 boxes I wanted. So I grabbed the Filet Mignon, the Flat Iron Steaks, the Rib-Eyes, and the Burgers and headed into my house. (Running back out to grab the baby in the carseat who was still on the lawn).
I'm not a big meat eater, but I had visions of Filet Mignon wrapped in bacon in my head. Yum.
So I get in the house, empty a shelf on my freezer and start unpacking my $100.00 treasure.
Here's the set up for the Math Lesson. As I'm unloading $100.00 of meat and putting it in my freezer, there's this little thought forming in the back of my mind. This doesn't feel like $100.00 worth of meat.
What do I mean? I mean if you go grocery shopping enough you learn what a pound of meat feels like. You learn what a quarter pound of meat feels like. I can tell you that these steaks weren't even a fraction of that.
So I look on each box to see if the label shows the net weight. Sure enough, it does. Each box weighs anywhere from 2 to 2.5 pounds. I had bought a total of 11 pounds of meat for $100.00. Rounding down, that was about $10 per pound.
You know that sick feeling you get in your stomach when you realize you've been robbed? That's how I felt. We just simply can't pay almost $10 per pound. Not when I can go to Costco. And how was I going to explain this to my husband?
Luckily, my husband jumped into action, called Dave and said, "Come back and pick up your meat and give us our check back."
And it all worked out.
So here's the math problem of the day:
Which is the better deal? 6 boxes of meat for $389.00, or 4 boxes of meat for $100.00.
See below for answer.
Answer: Neither. Either way it's a rip off.
Wouldn't it be my luck that it was #2.
It was one of those "we-sell-meat-by-the-box-so-you-get-an-amazing-price" type of meat trucks. Too bad for them I had already been swindled 11 years earlier by Colorado Meat Company (which if you remember, ended up on an evening episode of "Dateline" because of the way they were ripping people off-it was that bad). So when Joe and Dave stepped out of the truck and asked me if I eat meat, I said, "Rarely". Well, that got Joe salivating over the idea of a challenge and he started yanking out these boxes of meat explaining that they just "wanted to go home", but had to get rid of all this meat and would I be interested if I could get a discount? I explained that I was on a tight budget (gesturing toward my two little ones as if to say, "These guys are really expensive") so thanks, but no.
Joe really liked a challenge because that got him talking even more about how he could sell me this meat for an amazing price and where did I usually buy my meat...yadda...yadda...
Meanwhile, the three-year-old is starting the "c'mon, Mom" tug on my arm while I'm precariously balancing holding the car seat, the diaper bag, and my laptop.
Joe is opening boxes and spreading out vacuum packed meat on the sidewalk and Dave is playing bad cop to his good cop- "I don't know if we can let it go for that price" kind of thing.
Long story short- they had me at "Filet Mignon".
I was so proud of myself. What was first 6 boxes of meat for $389.00, was now $100.00 for 4 boxes of meat AND I could choose any 4 boxes I wanted. So I grabbed the Filet Mignon, the Flat Iron Steaks, the Rib-Eyes, and the Burgers and headed into my house. (Running back out to grab the baby in the carseat who was still on the lawn).
I'm not a big meat eater, but I had visions of Filet Mignon wrapped in bacon in my head. Yum.
So I get in the house, empty a shelf on my freezer and start unpacking my $100.00 treasure.
Here's the set up for the Math Lesson. As I'm unloading $100.00 of meat and putting it in my freezer, there's this little thought forming in the back of my mind. This doesn't feel like $100.00 worth of meat.
What do I mean? I mean if you go grocery shopping enough you learn what a pound of meat feels like. You learn what a quarter pound of meat feels like. I can tell you that these steaks weren't even a fraction of that.
So I look on each box to see if the label shows the net weight. Sure enough, it does. Each box weighs anywhere from 2 to 2.5 pounds. I had bought a total of 11 pounds of meat for $100.00. Rounding down, that was about $10 per pound.
You know that sick feeling you get in your stomach when you realize you've been robbed? That's how I felt. We just simply can't pay almost $10 per pound. Not when I can go to Costco. And how was I going to explain this to my husband?
Luckily, my husband jumped into action, called Dave and said, "Come back and pick up your meat and give us our check back."
And it all worked out.
So here's the math problem of the day:
Which is the better deal? 6 boxes of meat for $389.00, or 4 boxes of meat for $100.00.
See below for answer.
Answer: Neither. Either way it's a rip off.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Scared of Schoolwork
I grew up surrounded by educators. My mother was a teacher. My step-dad was a teacher. All of their friends were teachers. Teachers are weird.
I am a teacher.
Here's how the pay scale works. The more units (college, etc...) you earn beyond your college degree/undergraduate credential work, the higher on the pay scale you go. I cranked at units. I earned so many units that I even impressed the people at the District Office. I earned so many units that I could have a Master's Degree and MORE if I wanted.
Except that my units were never taken with the intention of getting a Master's degree. And here's why...
I'm a smart cookie. But please, please don't ask me to write a paper with footnotes and in some kind of format that has initials like MFA. Because if you ask me to do that, I will FREAK OUT and FREEZE UP.
Ask me how I know.
Because I tried. I tried to get a Master's Degree in Education. Or Administration. I can't remember. And I was doing fine until I was asked to write a paper at the end of the semester. The requirements for the paper were 2 pages long. And I had to use footnotes. I don't read footnotes, why would I want to write them?? And it scared me that everyone in the class seemed to know what Dr. Professor was asking for, but me.
So I ruined my perfectly good 3.8 average in units taken after my B.A. by dropping out of that class.
The moral of the story is: Just because someone is a Teacher, it doesn't mean they're not afraid of schoolwork.
Or: Don't spend a lot of money on a really expensive graduate school program if you think you're going to drop out when someone says the word "footnote."
I am a teacher.
Here's how the pay scale works. The more units (college, etc...) you earn beyond your college degree/undergraduate credential work, the higher on the pay scale you go. I cranked at units. I earned so many units that I even impressed the people at the District Office. I earned so many units that I could have a Master's Degree and MORE if I wanted.
Except that my units were never taken with the intention of getting a Master's degree. And here's why...
I'm a smart cookie. But please, please don't ask me to write a paper with footnotes and in some kind of format that has initials like MFA. Because if you ask me to do that, I will FREAK OUT and FREEZE UP.
Ask me how I know.
Because I tried. I tried to get a Master's Degree in Education. Or Administration. I can't remember. And I was doing fine until I was asked to write a paper at the end of the semester. The requirements for the paper were 2 pages long. And I had to use footnotes. I don't read footnotes, why would I want to write them?? And it scared me that everyone in the class seemed to know what Dr. Professor was asking for, but me.
So I ruined my perfectly good 3.8 average in units taken after my B.A. by dropping out of that class.
The moral of the story is: Just because someone is a Teacher, it doesn't mean they're not afraid of schoolwork.
Or: Don't spend a lot of money on a really expensive graduate school program if you think you're going to drop out when someone says the word "footnote."
Saturday, November 6, 2010
L stands for Listen!
November is the month where we reflect on what we have to be thankful for.
I am thankful that I no longer have to do recess duty.
I've been thinking a lot about my job lately, the pros and the cons. There have been many frustrations involved with going back to work and being the new kid on the block again, but I revel in the fact that I will never have to do recess duty again. (Never say never, I know).
My memories of recess duty involve spending the longest 15 minutes of my life out on a playground trying to keep in order in a sea of complete chaos. It's okay to be in a classroom with those monkeys, that was my job, but then to be released into the wild with them was almost too much for me.
I would approach recess duty well armed. I had my clipboard complete with warning slips, my snack (string cheese, yogurt, and a piece of chocolate from the stash I kept hidden in my desk), and if I could find it in time, my whistle.
The best place to be for recess duty was the upper playground. There were less children and thus, less cause for anxiety. You still had the one child who followed you around and talked to you constantly like you were her best friend. There was also the child who would come and report to you the goings on in the farthest reaches of the playground just in case I wasn't looking.
I avoided that child because usually that meant that I would have to be responsible and trek myself (in my nice shoes) to the farthest reaches of the playground to tell those kids to knock off whatever it was they were doing.
My favorite recess story of all time happened early on in my teaching career. Two kids were arm wrestling on the playground. Arm wrestling is not allowed because it carries with it the possibility of a lawsuit. Looking back, I should have just let them continue arm wrestling and ignored the fact that other children were starting to take bets on who would win. Instead, I walked over and told these two boys to please stop arm wrestling and to go play basketball or something.
They looked at me like I was the meanest teacher that had ever lived, but they stopped. Long enough for me to turn my back and walk away. Then they were at it again.
As soon as I discovered what was up, I walked over again and told them, look boys, I know this is fun and all, but you really need to find something better to do at recess or I'm going to have to give you one of these here citation slips.
The boys split apart for all of two minutes that time.
When they went at it again, I stomped over to them, yanked the pen off my clipboard and started filling out citations. They had the nerve to ask me why they were getting a citation. I said, "because you have very short memories. I asked you twice to stop and you didn't."
Well, one of them grumbled about how unfair it all was. I don't know what overcame me, but the next thing I knew I was saying, "Maybe next time you boys will pay attention," and I had used my fingers to make that "L" sign on my forehead. You know the one.
One boy looked at another and said, "Did she just say you were a loser?"
I instantly had visions of parent phone calls in my head. The kind where I would have to justify my actions in front of the Principal and some hotshot from the District office. I had to back pedal. Fast.
"No! 'L' stands for 'Listen'!" And I smiled sweetly and walked away.
I am thankful that I no longer have to do recess duty.
I've been thinking a lot about my job lately, the pros and the cons. There have been many frustrations involved with going back to work and being the new kid on the block again, but I revel in the fact that I will never have to do recess duty again. (Never say never, I know).
My memories of recess duty involve spending the longest 15 minutes of my life out on a playground trying to keep in order in a sea of complete chaos. It's okay to be in a classroom with those monkeys, that was my job, but then to be released into the wild with them was almost too much for me.
I would approach recess duty well armed. I had my clipboard complete with warning slips, my snack (string cheese, yogurt, and a piece of chocolate from the stash I kept hidden in my desk), and if I could find it in time, my whistle.
The best place to be for recess duty was the upper playground. There were less children and thus, less cause for anxiety. You still had the one child who followed you around and talked to you constantly like you were her best friend. There was also the child who would come and report to you the goings on in the farthest reaches of the playground just in case I wasn't looking.
I avoided that child because usually that meant that I would have to be responsible and trek myself (in my nice shoes) to the farthest reaches of the playground to tell those kids to knock off whatever it was they were doing.
My favorite recess story of all time happened early on in my teaching career. Two kids were arm wrestling on the playground. Arm wrestling is not allowed because it carries with it the possibility of a lawsuit. Looking back, I should have just let them continue arm wrestling and ignored the fact that other children were starting to take bets on who would win. Instead, I walked over and told these two boys to please stop arm wrestling and to go play basketball or something.
They looked at me like I was the meanest teacher that had ever lived, but they stopped. Long enough for me to turn my back and walk away. Then they were at it again.
As soon as I discovered what was up, I walked over again and told them, look boys, I know this is fun and all, but you really need to find something better to do at recess or I'm going to have to give you one of these here citation slips.
The boys split apart for all of two minutes that time.
When they went at it again, I stomped over to them, yanked the pen off my clipboard and started filling out citations. They had the nerve to ask me why they were getting a citation. I said, "because you have very short memories. I asked you twice to stop and you didn't."
Well, one of them grumbled about how unfair it all was. I don't know what overcame me, but the next thing I knew I was saying, "Maybe next time you boys will pay attention," and I had used my fingers to make that "L" sign on my forehead. You know the one.
One boy looked at another and said, "Did she just say you were a loser?"
I instantly had visions of parent phone calls in my head. The kind where I would have to justify my actions in front of the Principal and some hotshot from the District office. I had to back pedal. Fast.
"No! 'L' stands for 'Listen'!" And I smiled sweetly and walked away.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Little bitty toys...
I have a 3 year old. Until she turns 4. That seems like a really long time from now.
Other people talk about their children not making it to see 4. Bill Cosby jokes, "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out!" I'm sure my daughter will make it to 4 just fine. I might not, though.
So this is what she's doing... And I know now that this is typical child development age-appropriate behavior, because the only thing that keeps me going is to hear other people say that their kids did that too...Anyway...
She takes all these little toys that she's fascinated with...finger puppets, Littlest Pet Shop toys (which can I tell you the accessories to are so microscopic that we can never hold on to them for more than a week?), little rings, little collectibles my mother-in-law gave her (thanks for that), crayon pieces, puzzle pieces, blocks, etc...and she dumps them out (from these labeled shoe boxes that I have them all organized in) onto the floor and then mixes them up and puts them in the strangest places.
Example: The first time I saw this behavior was when I asked her to pick up her puzzle pieces. I did not specifically tell her to put them back in the box they came from. Therefore, they ended up in my husband's shoe. That was kinda funny because it was puzzle pieces from the same puzzle, they were easy to put away, and I found them in my husband's shoe shortly after they had been placed there.
But then...little things started appearing in bunches all around the house in containers that they were not meant to go in. Shoes, tupperware, a macaroni and cheese box I had thrown in the trash that she had taken out of the trash, diaper wipes containers...you get the idea. ALL OVER. It's been like this massive scavenger hunt for little toys I know are missing and I know they are somewhere in the house if only the 3 year old would give me a clue.
But when I ask she says, "I'm making salad." "I made mud." "I'm having a birthday party and I have to wrap the presents." What?? What does that mean?? Stop driving me crazy and tell me where your toys are.
And this is why I say I won't survive to see her 4th birthday. I can't go to bed sometimes until I know all the toys are put away in their designated box. I fear that someday my 2 month old will crawl around, find a small toy, put it in his mouth, and choke on it. I fear I will be pierced in the foot by a toy in my shoe. I fear I will be 65 years old with my kids moved out and I will still be finding Littlest Pet Shop accessories under the couch.
I've started to slowly move all the little toys in their shoe boxes upstairs to the 3 year old's room. She knows something's going on, but she hasn't figured out exactly what it is yet because it's a slow progression of toy movage and let's face it, pre-schoolers can still be fooled in some ways. I'm planning on moving some toys to the garage soon because I have to make room for new toys around Christmas time. I haven't been able to do the garage thing yet though, because I saw Toy Story 3. If you saw the movie, you know what I'm talking about.
I have a confession to make too. Sometimes, on days when I feel like I won't make it, I pick out one little messed up, broken toy and throw it in the trash. Okay, okay, sometimes two. But I always make sure they are broken and I justify it by telling myself broken toys can hurt kids. (Don't tell me about the lonely toys in Toy Story 3 that were broken and ignored...I know, I know...)
I want to get over myself and deal with the toys in a healthy way. I want to accept this behavior will pass and something else will take it's place. I know that's true. And somewhere out there is a therapist that will have a blast analyzing why I have to control the toys and why it bothers me so much to have small toys in my shoes.
I say, don't judge me.
Other people talk about their children not making it to see 4. Bill Cosby jokes, "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out!" I'm sure my daughter will make it to 4 just fine. I might not, though.
So this is what she's doing... And I know now that this is typical child development age-appropriate behavior, because the only thing that keeps me going is to hear other people say that their kids did that too...Anyway...
She takes all these little toys that she's fascinated with...finger puppets, Littlest Pet Shop toys (which can I tell you the accessories to are so microscopic that we can never hold on to them for more than a week?), little rings, little collectibles my mother-in-law gave her (thanks for that), crayon pieces, puzzle pieces, blocks, etc...and she dumps them out (from these labeled shoe boxes that I have them all organized in) onto the floor and then mixes them up and puts them in the strangest places.
Example: The first time I saw this behavior was when I asked her to pick up her puzzle pieces. I did not specifically tell her to put them back in the box they came from. Therefore, they ended up in my husband's shoe. That was kinda funny because it was puzzle pieces from the same puzzle, they were easy to put away, and I found them in my husband's shoe shortly after they had been placed there.
But then...little things started appearing in bunches all around the house in containers that they were not meant to go in. Shoes, tupperware, a macaroni and cheese box I had thrown in the trash that she had taken out of the trash, diaper wipes containers...you get the idea. ALL OVER. It's been like this massive scavenger hunt for little toys I know are missing and I know they are somewhere in the house if only the 3 year old would give me a clue.
But when I ask she says, "I'm making salad." "I made mud." "I'm having a birthday party and I have to wrap the presents." What?? What does that mean?? Stop driving me crazy and tell me where your toys are.
And this is why I say I won't survive to see her 4th birthday. I can't go to bed sometimes until I know all the toys are put away in their designated box. I fear that someday my 2 month old will crawl around, find a small toy, put it in his mouth, and choke on it. I fear I will be pierced in the foot by a toy in my shoe. I fear I will be 65 years old with my kids moved out and I will still be finding Littlest Pet Shop accessories under the couch.
I've started to slowly move all the little toys in their shoe boxes upstairs to the 3 year old's room. She knows something's going on, but she hasn't figured out exactly what it is yet because it's a slow progression of toy movage and let's face it, pre-schoolers can still be fooled in some ways. I'm planning on moving some toys to the garage soon because I have to make room for new toys around Christmas time. I haven't been able to do the garage thing yet though, because I saw Toy Story 3. If you saw the movie, you know what I'm talking about.
I have a confession to make too. Sometimes, on days when I feel like I won't make it, I pick out one little messed up, broken toy and throw it in the trash. Okay, okay, sometimes two. But I always make sure they are broken and I justify it by telling myself broken toys can hurt kids. (Don't tell me about the lonely toys in Toy Story 3 that were broken and ignored...I know, I know...)
I want to get over myself and deal with the toys in a healthy way. I want to accept this behavior will pass and something else will take it's place. I know that's true. And somewhere out there is a therapist that will have a blast analyzing why I have to control the toys and why it bothers me so much to have small toys in my shoes.
I say, don't judge me.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Information Overload
Let's recap what's happened since I've last blogged.
1) I gave birth.
2) I officially started my new job (which means I joyfully received my first paycheck).
For those of you who don't know my job, it's like this. I get paid to make sure that parents who are homeschooling their children comply with the state standards and follow all the state education laws.
There are perks to my job. I get to mostly work from home. Some of my meetings take place at a coffee shop. I get to cart my new baby around with me. I meet amazing parents and kids.
And even in the short time I've worked at this job, I've realized a few things.
I've realized that some parents are natural teachers regardless of whether they have a teaching credential or not. I've realized that that could never be me and I am so thankful that I took the time to get my teaching credential-because for me, I actually learned things about teaching I wouldn't have known otherwise.
And although as parents we are the best teachers for our children, we can still benefit from the knowledge of those who have actually studied education and how kids learn and wrote books about it and stuff.
Here's my point. I think as homeschooling parents (or even just concerned parents that care about our child's education) our natural tendency is to want to cram as much information into our child as possible. At as young of an age as possible. Oh, we complain about the "system" that wants our children to write a complete paragraph by the time they are in kindergarten, and then we turn around to homeschool our kids only to find ourselves teaching our five year old about Plato and his philosophy behind The Cave. Which would be okay, except that we also throw in Alexander the Great, the American Revolution, and Little House On The Prairie all in the same week. As a result, our children are exposed to a great amount of knowledge with little understanding of what it really means. And they can't communicate anything they've learned.
Here's something good the "system" has taught me. It's better to learn a few things really well and be able to communicate our understanding of them, then to shrug our shoulders when asked, "So what did you learn about Plato and the American Revolution this week?"
In other words...and this is a note to myself as well...
Our children need to communicate what they have learned. Otherwise, they haven't learned it.
1) I gave birth.
2) I officially started my new job (which means I joyfully received my first paycheck).
For those of you who don't know my job, it's like this. I get paid to make sure that parents who are homeschooling their children comply with the state standards and follow all the state education laws.
There are perks to my job. I get to mostly work from home. Some of my meetings take place at a coffee shop. I get to cart my new baby around with me. I meet amazing parents and kids.
And even in the short time I've worked at this job, I've realized a few things.
I've realized that some parents are natural teachers regardless of whether they have a teaching credential or not. I've realized that that could never be me and I am so thankful that I took the time to get my teaching credential-because for me, I actually learned things about teaching I wouldn't have known otherwise.
And although as parents we are the best teachers for our children, we can still benefit from the knowledge of those who have actually studied education and how kids learn and wrote books about it and stuff.
Here's my point. I think as homeschooling parents (or even just concerned parents that care about our child's education) our natural tendency is to want to cram as much information into our child as possible. At as young of an age as possible. Oh, we complain about the "system" that wants our children to write a complete paragraph by the time they are in kindergarten, and then we turn around to homeschool our kids only to find ourselves teaching our five year old about Plato and his philosophy behind The Cave. Which would be okay, except that we also throw in Alexander the Great, the American Revolution, and Little House On The Prairie all in the same week. As a result, our children are exposed to a great amount of knowledge with little understanding of what it really means. And they can't communicate anything they've learned.
Here's something good the "system" has taught me. It's better to learn a few things really well and be able to communicate our understanding of them, then to shrug our shoulders when asked, "So what did you learn about Plato and the American Revolution this week?"
In other words...and this is a note to myself as well...
Our children need to communicate what they have learned. Otherwise, they haven't learned it.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Bucket List internet links
So to make it easier, I just decided to post the internet links that Stephanie used to get her Bucket List ideas from.
http://littlewonderdays.blogspot.com/2010/05/puple-summer-bucket-list.html
50 summer crafts for kids
http://thelongthread.com/?p=4054
100 free things to do with your kids
http://www.digitalreflections.typepad.com/digital_reflections/2009/06/100-free-things-t0-do-with-your-kids-this-summer.html
Stephanie points out in her notes that you may have to remove some things from the list that don't fit your family, add a few favorites from past years, etc...
She also says that even though some of the activities only take 10-15 minutes, it gives the kids something to look forward to and talk about. She suggests that you can even put your strip of paper from the bucket list and post it on a calendar so you can look back and see what you did over the week/month.
Have fun!
http://littlewonderdays.blogspot.com/2010/05/puple-summer-bucket-list.html
50 summer crafts for kids
http://thelongthread.com/?p=4054
100 free things to do with your kids
http://www.digitalreflections.typepad.com/digital_reflections/2009/06/100-free-things-t0-do-with-your-kids-this-summer.html
Stephanie points out in her notes that you may have to remove some things from the list that don't fit your family, add a few favorites from past years, etc...
She also says that even though some of the activities only take 10-15 minutes, it gives the kids something to look forward to and talk about. She suggests that you can even put your strip of paper from the bucket list and post it on a calendar so you can look back and see what you did over the week/month.
Have fun!
The Bucket List-Summer Fun!!
Hi Friends!
Check this out! Great ideas for the family for summer!
Facebook Stephanie Cassel Deininger: Summer Fun: The Bucket List
Thanks for the great idea, Stephanie!
-Lisa
Check this out! Great ideas for the family for summer!
Facebook Stephanie Cassel Deininger: Summer Fun: The Bucket List
Thanks for the great idea, Stephanie!
-Lisa
Thursday, June 24, 2010
More on gifted kids...follow up
A few days ago I blogged about gifted kids and it sparked some very interesting comments and insights on facebook. I love this social networking stuff. This led to someone leading me to a blog that posed the question, "How do you talk about your gifted kid?"
I don't have the answer to that, because as I've stated before, my daughter is only 3 and it's a little early to tell one way or another whether or not she's gifted. Well, I mean academically. I think all kids are gifted in one way or another, but some have the gift of intellect and a very high IQ. And yes, it's hard to talk about your child who's gifted to someone who is just excited their son passed the spelling test he studied so hard for.
I do know that there are kids that will stand out right away as gifted. My friend has a child like that and she has just recently had to face the decision of whether to put him in Kindergarten (where he would be age-wise) or whether to place him at a higher grade level based on his reading skills and critical thinking skills.
When I blogged before, I didn't mean to say I was 100% against skipping grade levels. I'm not. One of my best friends graduated High School two years early and she should have. I guess what I was trying to say-and maybe not as eloquently as I had hoped-was that there are other options besides skipping grade levels. I think when you are trying to decide whether or not your child should skip a grade level, you should consider things like social skills and maturity. I've seen kids fall apart under the pressure of trying to perform, that's all I'm saying. Some kids thrive on it, others-even though they may have a big intellect-are not so emotionally well-balanced.
Case in point-I had this one student named Rebecca. She was smarter than almost any student I've ever seen. Her test scores were off the charts. In fact, it was hard to know what to do with her in a classroom because all she wanted to do was read. I could be giving a math lesson and she'd have her nose buried in a book. I would too if I were 11 years old and read at a college level. But there was a problem--
Rebecca couldn't sit forward in her chair. She couldn't listen to instructions to save her life. Her papers were scattered on the floor around her and extended to the next 2 student's desks beyond. (When we were studying Egypt, some students took to calling her paper trail "The Nile River"). She could never remember to bring the right books to school. She would come to school with her hair disheveled and her clothes a mess. She played with younger kids at recess because no one her age knew what to do with her. She forgot her homework all the time. She could never really look you in the eye.
Rebecca had (has) aspergers. She had never been diagnosed because up until the 6th grade, she had been able to pass these things off as part of her "intellectual quirkiness" to her parents. But we, as a 6th grade teaching team, were terrified to send her to Jr. High.
I'm just putting this out there...I think we have had a great discussion on this topic.
Next let's shake things up and talk about special needs kids. I love this stuff!
I don't have the answer to that, because as I've stated before, my daughter is only 3 and it's a little early to tell one way or another whether or not she's gifted. Well, I mean academically. I think all kids are gifted in one way or another, but some have the gift of intellect and a very high IQ. And yes, it's hard to talk about your child who's gifted to someone who is just excited their son passed the spelling test he studied so hard for.
I do know that there are kids that will stand out right away as gifted. My friend has a child like that and she has just recently had to face the decision of whether to put him in Kindergarten (where he would be age-wise) or whether to place him at a higher grade level based on his reading skills and critical thinking skills.
When I blogged before, I didn't mean to say I was 100% against skipping grade levels. I'm not. One of my best friends graduated High School two years early and she should have. I guess what I was trying to say-and maybe not as eloquently as I had hoped-was that there are other options besides skipping grade levels. I think when you are trying to decide whether or not your child should skip a grade level, you should consider things like social skills and maturity. I've seen kids fall apart under the pressure of trying to perform, that's all I'm saying. Some kids thrive on it, others-even though they may have a big intellect-are not so emotionally well-balanced.
Case in point-I had this one student named Rebecca. She was smarter than almost any student I've ever seen. Her test scores were off the charts. In fact, it was hard to know what to do with her in a classroom because all she wanted to do was read. I could be giving a math lesson and she'd have her nose buried in a book. I would too if I were 11 years old and read at a college level. But there was a problem--
Rebecca couldn't sit forward in her chair. She couldn't listen to instructions to save her life. Her papers were scattered on the floor around her and extended to the next 2 student's desks beyond. (When we were studying Egypt, some students took to calling her paper trail "The Nile River"). She could never remember to bring the right books to school. She would come to school with her hair disheveled and her clothes a mess. She played with younger kids at recess because no one her age knew what to do with her. She forgot her homework all the time. She could never really look you in the eye.
Rebecca had (has) aspergers. She had never been diagnosed because up until the 6th grade, she had been able to pass these things off as part of her "intellectual quirkiness" to her parents. But we, as a 6th grade teaching team, were terrified to send her to Jr. High.
I'm just putting this out there...I think we have had a great discussion on this topic.
Next let's shake things up and talk about special needs kids. I love this stuff!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
The Gifted and Talented Child
Who doesn't think their child is a genius? I think my daughter is a genius and if I ever start to doubt it, she has 5 grandparents that will remind me she's a genius.
Okay, okay, my daughter may not be a genius. In fact, there are some days when I think there might be something wrong with her. Just kidding. Maybe.
The truth is, even if my child is Gifted and Talented, I won't know for awhile. I think it would be very hard for me to diagnose her in such a way by the time she reaches pre-school. Even if she reads before she gets to kinder, is that a sign she's a genius? Or a more likely, a sign that I just took the time to teach her phonics starting when she was 2? If she has a love for reading, it may not be an indication of her IQ as much as it may be an indication that she has loving parents who read out loud to her at least twice a day. And if she's two or three years ahead of her peers because of all this, do I want to start teaching her at that level? And even if she does have a high IQ and it's obvious to others, not just those that love her best, what do I do with that??
I've known parents who believe in "acceleration". Put on the gas and let them go as far ahead as they can. Education is a race and the sooner they can graduate High School the better. Skip a few grades because they can handle the work and they love the challenge. I thought I would be one of those, but now I'm not so sure.
I look at it like this: Acceleration v. Digging Deeper. Full Speed Ahead v. Exploration. My experience has been that the happiest students were the ones who were given an age appropriate lesson, but then given permission to "dig deeper". Create a game, a report, a 3-D display, a movie, etc...anything to "hang out" with that topic for awhile and exhaust it until they were satisfied. Children will join the rat race soon enough, yes? Why force them to do it now?
The challenge for me, the teacher, was to do this in a classroom full of 30 kids. More times than not, I did not succeed. But now I am a parent. And maybe my job as a parent is to make my child a life-long lover of learning, genius or not. Maybe it's my job as the parent to take a lesson and find ways to "dig deeper". After all, parents are the best teachers to their children.
More on this as I process. But feel free to give your ideas and comments...
Okay, okay, my daughter may not be a genius. In fact, there are some days when I think there might be something wrong with her. Just kidding. Maybe.
The truth is, even if my child is Gifted and Talented, I won't know for awhile. I think it would be very hard for me to diagnose her in such a way by the time she reaches pre-school. Even if she reads before she gets to kinder, is that a sign she's a genius? Or a more likely, a sign that I just took the time to teach her phonics starting when she was 2? If she has a love for reading, it may not be an indication of her IQ as much as it may be an indication that she has loving parents who read out loud to her at least twice a day. And if she's two or three years ahead of her peers because of all this, do I want to start teaching her at that level? And even if she does have a high IQ and it's obvious to others, not just those that love her best, what do I do with that??
I've known parents who believe in "acceleration". Put on the gas and let them go as far ahead as they can. Education is a race and the sooner they can graduate High School the better. Skip a few grades because they can handle the work and they love the challenge. I thought I would be one of those, but now I'm not so sure.
I look at it like this: Acceleration v. Digging Deeper. Full Speed Ahead v. Exploration. My experience has been that the happiest students were the ones who were given an age appropriate lesson, but then given permission to "dig deeper". Create a game, a report, a 3-D display, a movie, etc...anything to "hang out" with that topic for awhile and exhaust it until they were satisfied. Children will join the rat race soon enough, yes? Why force them to do it now?
The challenge for me, the teacher, was to do this in a classroom full of 30 kids. More times than not, I did not succeed. But now I am a parent. And maybe my job as a parent is to make my child a life-long lover of learning, genius or not. Maybe it's my job as the parent to take a lesson and find ways to "dig deeper". After all, parents are the best teachers to their children.
More on this as I process. But feel free to give your ideas and comments...
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Teacher's Prayer
Found this at the Old Schoolhouse in Oak Glen today.
Teacher's Prayer
I want to teach my students how
To live this life on Earth
To face its struggles and its strife
And improve their worth
Not just the lesson in a book
Or how the rivers flow
But how to choose the proper path
Wherever they may go.
To understand eternal Truth
And know the right from wrong,
And gather all the beauty of
A flower and a song.
For if I help the world to grow
In wisdom and in grace,
Then I shall feel that I have won
And I have filled my place.
And so I ask your guidance, God
That I may do my part
For character and confidence
And happiness of heart.
-James J. Melcalf
Teacher's Prayer
I want to teach my students how
To live this life on Earth
To face its struggles and its strife
And improve their worth
Not just the lesson in a book
Or how the rivers flow
But how to choose the proper path
Wherever they may go.
To understand eternal Truth
And know the right from wrong,
And gather all the beauty of
A flower and a song.
For if I help the world to grow
In wisdom and in grace,
Then I shall feel that I have won
And I have filled my place.
And so I ask your guidance, God
That I may do my part
For character and confidence
And happiness of heart.
-James J. Melcalf
Monday, May 31, 2010
Book Adventure!
Oh, how I wish my daughter were able to read, because I would totally be into this for the summer.
If you do this, you'll have to let me know how you like it. I know it probably won't compare to any reading program your local library may be doing this summer, but I think this is so cool!
Here's the website: www.bookadventure.com
This website is run by the Sylvan Learning Center. You can select your child's reading level and the type of books they like to read. Up will pop a list of appropriate grade level books in the genre you selected. You can read the books from the list online, or check them out at your local library. Once the books have been read, your child can take a quiz online on the book. They earn points for prizes from taking the quizzes.
Some of the prizes cost a little money. Others are free. There is also a link where you can set up your own parent incentive program.
Pretty neat, huh? Like I said, if you try this, let me know what you think.
Lisa
If you do this, you'll have to let me know how you like it. I know it probably won't compare to any reading program your local library may be doing this summer, but I think this is so cool!
Here's the website: www.bookadventure.com
This website is run by the Sylvan Learning Center. You can select your child's reading level and the type of books they like to read. Up will pop a list of appropriate grade level books in the genre you selected. You can read the books from the list online, or check them out at your local library. Once the books have been read, your child can take a quiz online on the book. They earn points for prizes from taking the quizzes.
Some of the prizes cost a little money. Others are free. There is also a link where you can set up your own parent incentive program.
Pretty neat, huh? Like I said, if you try this, let me know what you think.
Lisa
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Saturday Art Activity
Rice Art
It's supposed to be 88 degrees outside today, so some kind of outside water play may be in order, but I also thought I better have an indoor activity planned, because I'm a wimp and can only stand so much heat being 7 months pregnant. So here's my Saturday Art Activity:
1. Find some white rice (I am pretty sure I have some in the cupboard)
2. Put rice in baggies (or other containers) with a generous portion of food coloring and shake.
3. Put rice out on paper towels to dry.
4. Once rice is dry, you can use glue on construction paper to create pictures and designs and sprinkle with the rice.
Have a great weekend! If I remember, I'll take pictures of this activity and post them so you can see!
Lisa
It's supposed to be 88 degrees outside today, so some kind of outside water play may be in order, but I also thought I better have an indoor activity planned, because I'm a wimp and can only stand so much heat being 7 months pregnant. So here's my Saturday Art Activity:
1. Find some white rice (I am pretty sure I have some in the cupboard)
2. Put rice in baggies (or other containers) with a generous portion of food coloring and shake.
3. Put rice out on paper towels to dry.
4. Once rice is dry, you can use glue on construction paper to create pictures and designs and sprinkle with the rice.
Have a great weekend! If I remember, I'll take pictures of this activity and post them so you can see!
Lisa
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Tidbits and Websites
Here's some random helpful stuff I've discovered lately and some cool websites to look at.
* If you are looking for good math curriculum-Most (90%) people I have surveyed in the past few weeks agree that Saxon Math Publishers have a better program than Math-U-See. Math-U-See has more manipulatives and may be better as a supplemental type program, but Saxon is more aligned with the standards and has higher expectations. If you go on the Saxon website, (google Saxon Math and you'll find it), they also have online math activities that you can use to supplement any curriculum you are already doing or that your child's teacher may be doing. It could be good reinforcement of certain skills your child may be struggling with. Activities start at Kinder level and go up to Grade 12. Also these activities could help keep your child's brain from becoming mushy over summer break.
*If your child/children are into astronomy, here's a fun website to explore. www.COSMOS4KIDS.com. This website includes Star Maps, information about our solar system and activities for kids to do. And to the best of my knowledge, it's free. We like free.
*Best FREE website I've found so far for pre-K to about 2nd grade level is www.starfall.com. We play on this one almost everyday. Their ABC game is great for pre-readers to learn phonics, and then the have "books" to help teach reading skills. LOVE IT!! They also have published curriculum that you can purchase, but to play online is free. This website would also be great for English Second Language Learners.
*Magic School Bus-My 3 year old has started to really enjoy shows like Sid the Science Kid and Magic School Bus, even though most of it goes over her head. Our local library has Magic School Bus Videos and books, but get this--Magic School Bus makes (gasp!) Science Kits!! Who knew? I am intending to explore this further and I will keep you updated, but how fun is that? Fun, I tell you. I also recently heard about these books for older kids (meaning 3rd-5th graders) called the Magic Treehouse Series. These are chapters books that explore science and social studies concepts. I have talked to some people who have said their kids really enjoy these, although some books later in the series go into the "magic" concept a little too much for their tastes. However, they highly recommend the books that are early in the series.
Hope these Tidbits gave you something interesting to chew on.
Have a great day!
Lisa
"Not all who wander are lost." -J.R.R.Tolkien
* If you are looking for good math curriculum-Most (90%) people I have surveyed in the past few weeks agree that Saxon Math Publishers have a better program than Math-U-See. Math-U-See has more manipulatives and may be better as a supplemental type program, but Saxon is more aligned with the standards and has higher expectations. If you go on the Saxon website, (google Saxon Math and you'll find it), they also have online math activities that you can use to supplement any curriculum you are already doing or that your child's teacher may be doing. It could be good reinforcement of certain skills your child may be struggling with. Activities start at Kinder level and go up to Grade 12. Also these activities could help keep your child's brain from becoming mushy over summer break.
*If your child/children are into astronomy, here's a fun website to explore. www.COSMOS4KIDS.com. This website includes Star Maps, information about our solar system and activities for kids to do. And to the best of my knowledge, it's free. We like free.
*Best FREE website I've found so far for pre-K to about 2nd grade level is www.starfall.com. We play on this one almost everyday. Their ABC game is great for pre-readers to learn phonics, and then the have "books" to help teach reading skills. LOVE IT!! They also have published curriculum that you can purchase, but to play online is free. This website would also be great for English Second Language Learners.
*Magic School Bus-My 3 year old has started to really enjoy shows like Sid the Science Kid and Magic School Bus, even though most of it goes over her head. Our local library has Magic School Bus Videos and books, but get this--Magic School Bus makes (gasp!) Science Kits!! Who knew? I am intending to explore this further and I will keep you updated, but how fun is that? Fun, I tell you. I also recently heard about these books for older kids (meaning 3rd-5th graders) called the Magic Treehouse Series. These are chapters books that explore science and social studies concepts. I have talked to some people who have said their kids really enjoy these, although some books later in the series go into the "magic" concept a little too much for their tastes. However, they highly recommend the books that are early in the series.
Hope these Tidbits gave you something interesting to chew on.
Have a great day!
Lisa
"Not all who wander are lost." -J.R.R.Tolkien
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Completely Unexpected
I took on a part-time job this year as a home/hospital teacher because like most businesses, my husband's was hit by the economy and we found ourselves in a precarious situation financially.
For the whole year, I had 2 students. Both with cancer. One was Victor, a 3rd grader, who is being treated for leukemia. He's doing so well on chemotherapy, that you can't even tell he's sick. Every once in awhile he has to have a spinal tap, which I imagine is no fun, and he definitely has some learning disabilities beyond just being sick, but overall, Victor seems like he's going to be okay.
The other student was Joshua. He died on Saturday.
I first met Josh in September, after he had been diagnosed with a type of cancer that most kids don't get. I can't even pronounce the name. I spent anywhere from 3-5 hours a week with Josh and I watched from the sidelines as Doctors and Nurses treated him. Josh would talk to me about his illness, sometimes giving me more information than I wanted (" They don't like my poop today."). Sometimes his mom and dad would share just enough with me to let me know how my job was going to go that day.
In the beginning, Josh seemed like any other kid. Except he was extremely gifted. He was a fourth grader who could read at a 7th grade level, at least. He loved math. And he was very artistic. His favorite show was Sponge Bob. His favorite books were Diary of a Wimpy Kid and The Bible. His favorite football team was the Dallas Cowboys. His wish for the Make a Wish Foundation was to meet the Cowboys, but since he never was allowed out of the hospital, he got a Dell Laptop instead.
Shortly after Christmas, Josh had a bone marrow transplant. It was from an anonymous donor because none of his siblings or other family members were a match. We were told he would be in isolation for 6 weeks. I could still go in to teach him, but everyone had to wear a gown and gloves to see him to avoid passing infection. Josh had a terrible time with his body trying to accept the transplant. Sometimes I would go in and he would be bundled up in 3 or 4 blankets even though it was a beautiful day outside. He broke out in this horrible rash on his hands that kept him from being able to write and he had a hard time focusing, so he could only read short passages at a time. I started reading out loud to him and we did math the best we could.
My favorite day with Josh was the day I decided to show off to him that I knew how to make Oragami paper cranes. I told him the story of Sadako and 1,000 Cranes (good book, check it out) and how we used to teach all our 6th graders to make paper cranes. How our goal was to make 1,000 of them. I told Josh we could make a bunch and then make a mobile out of them and hang them in his hospital room. I brought the directions with me, but had a very hard time remembering how to make the cranes. Josh and I both struggled for an hour trying to make those cranes, giggling the whole time at our ineptness. I left him that day, telling him we'd try again the next day.
We finally got it figured out and we made a total of 10 cranes. Not 1,000, but he was pleased nonetheless and I felt like we had really accomplished something. He said, "This isn't really school, is it?" I said, "Sure. It counts toward your Art grade." He smiled at me and gave me his famous "thumbs up" sign.
By the time April came around I was considering handing Josh over to another teacher. Josh had a stomach infection, his liver was damaged, we weren't really doing anything except watching science videos and reading, I was thinking I might catch something because I was pregnant and my immune system was weaker, I had a hard time watching a 10 year old boy I had grown to care about deteriorate before my eyes...I talked about it with my husband and friends. I prayed about it. I came to no real conclusion, so I just kept going to see him.
Josh was moved to the ICU about a week and a half ago. I had gone to teach him, not knowing he had been moved to the ICU, and his mom took me back to see him. When I walked in, I told him, "Hey! I missed you!" His mom said, "He can't hear you." Then she leaned forward and whispered in his ear that Mrs. Ross was there to see him. He was having a hard time breathing, but he opened his eyes wider and gave me a thumbs up. I started crying. I told his mom he was an amazing kid. I wrote him a note that his mom said she would read to him. I told him to hang in there and that I would be back to read to him soon. I never saw him again.
I wanted to do honor to Josh somehow by writing this. I don't believe in coincidences, I believe in Divine Intervention. I still haven't figured out why Josh was given to me as a student. I can honestly say I don't think it's because he needed me. I did nothing different than any teacher I know would do. I don't know what I'm supposed to learn from this. I do know that the doctors and nurses at Loma Linda Hospital are amazing people and that Josh's parents are some of the most incredible human beings on the planet.
God Bless You, Josh. See you someday in Paradise.
Lisa
For the whole year, I had 2 students. Both with cancer. One was Victor, a 3rd grader, who is being treated for leukemia. He's doing so well on chemotherapy, that you can't even tell he's sick. Every once in awhile he has to have a spinal tap, which I imagine is no fun, and he definitely has some learning disabilities beyond just being sick, but overall, Victor seems like he's going to be okay.
The other student was Joshua. He died on Saturday.
I first met Josh in September, after he had been diagnosed with a type of cancer that most kids don't get. I can't even pronounce the name. I spent anywhere from 3-5 hours a week with Josh and I watched from the sidelines as Doctors and Nurses treated him. Josh would talk to me about his illness, sometimes giving me more information than I wanted (" They don't like my poop today."). Sometimes his mom and dad would share just enough with me to let me know how my job was going to go that day.
In the beginning, Josh seemed like any other kid. Except he was extremely gifted. He was a fourth grader who could read at a 7th grade level, at least. He loved math. And he was very artistic. His favorite show was Sponge Bob. His favorite books were Diary of a Wimpy Kid and The Bible. His favorite football team was the Dallas Cowboys. His wish for the Make a Wish Foundation was to meet the Cowboys, but since he never was allowed out of the hospital, he got a Dell Laptop instead.
Shortly after Christmas, Josh had a bone marrow transplant. It was from an anonymous donor because none of his siblings or other family members were a match. We were told he would be in isolation for 6 weeks. I could still go in to teach him, but everyone had to wear a gown and gloves to see him to avoid passing infection. Josh had a terrible time with his body trying to accept the transplant. Sometimes I would go in and he would be bundled up in 3 or 4 blankets even though it was a beautiful day outside. He broke out in this horrible rash on his hands that kept him from being able to write and he had a hard time focusing, so he could only read short passages at a time. I started reading out loud to him and we did math the best we could.
My favorite day with Josh was the day I decided to show off to him that I knew how to make Oragami paper cranes. I told him the story of Sadako and 1,000 Cranes (good book, check it out) and how we used to teach all our 6th graders to make paper cranes. How our goal was to make 1,000 of them. I told Josh we could make a bunch and then make a mobile out of them and hang them in his hospital room. I brought the directions with me, but had a very hard time remembering how to make the cranes. Josh and I both struggled for an hour trying to make those cranes, giggling the whole time at our ineptness. I left him that day, telling him we'd try again the next day.
We finally got it figured out and we made a total of 10 cranes. Not 1,000, but he was pleased nonetheless and I felt like we had really accomplished something. He said, "This isn't really school, is it?" I said, "Sure. It counts toward your Art grade." He smiled at me and gave me his famous "thumbs up" sign.
By the time April came around I was considering handing Josh over to another teacher. Josh had a stomach infection, his liver was damaged, we weren't really doing anything except watching science videos and reading, I was thinking I might catch something because I was pregnant and my immune system was weaker, I had a hard time watching a 10 year old boy I had grown to care about deteriorate before my eyes...I talked about it with my husband and friends. I prayed about it. I came to no real conclusion, so I just kept going to see him.
Josh was moved to the ICU about a week and a half ago. I had gone to teach him, not knowing he had been moved to the ICU, and his mom took me back to see him. When I walked in, I told him, "Hey! I missed you!" His mom said, "He can't hear you." Then she leaned forward and whispered in his ear that Mrs. Ross was there to see him. He was having a hard time breathing, but he opened his eyes wider and gave me a thumbs up. I started crying. I told his mom he was an amazing kid. I wrote him a note that his mom said she would read to him. I told him to hang in there and that I would be back to read to him soon. I never saw him again.
I wanted to do honor to Josh somehow by writing this. I don't believe in coincidences, I believe in Divine Intervention. I still haven't figured out why Josh was given to me as a student. I can honestly say I don't think it's because he needed me. I did nothing different than any teacher I know would do. I don't know what I'm supposed to learn from this. I do know that the doctors and nurses at Loma Linda Hospital are amazing people and that Josh's parents are some of the most incredible human beings on the planet.
God Bless You, Josh. See you someday in Paradise.
Lisa
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Dissections
I have this facebook friend named Melissa. She's a homeschool mom. Recently, she posted pictures on facebook of her kids dissecting things. That's how cool of a teacher she is. She ordered all these dissecting kits and then actually followed through with the dissection part.
I know one of the things she had her kids dissect was a cow's eye. Ewwww. But I'm sure the kids thought it was cool. When I saw the facebook pictures I almost had a panic attack because in all my thoughts of homeschooling my own children, it had NEVER crossed my mind I might have to teach them something that makes me queasy just thinking about it.
I plan on keeping Melissa as a friend for a long time to come. Not only because she has such great ideas as a teacher, and she's a great person to know, but because when I get to the part in the science standards where I might have to teach dissecting to my children, I want to call Melissa and say, "Can you do it?"
My one memory of dissecting anything is from High School. We had to dissect a frog. I chose my friend Tony (male) as a lab partner because I knew he would do all the dissecting. We named the frog Otis Tyrone and I never had to touch it. I ended up taking him (Tony, not the frog) to prom that year because I was so thankful.
Melissa, I can't take you to prom, but I will take you out to a nice dinner if you dissect stuff with my kids when the time comes.
I know one of the things she had her kids dissect was a cow's eye. Ewwww. But I'm sure the kids thought it was cool. When I saw the facebook pictures I almost had a panic attack because in all my thoughts of homeschooling my own children, it had NEVER crossed my mind I might have to teach them something that makes me queasy just thinking about it.
I plan on keeping Melissa as a friend for a long time to come. Not only because she has such great ideas as a teacher, and she's a great person to know, but because when I get to the part in the science standards where I might have to teach dissecting to my children, I want to call Melissa and say, "Can you do it?"
My one memory of dissecting anything is from High School. We had to dissect a frog. I chose my friend Tony (male) as a lab partner because I knew he would do all the dissecting. We named the frog Otis Tyrone and I never had to touch it. I ended up taking him (Tony, not the frog) to prom that year because I was so thankful.
Melissa, I can't take you to prom, but I will take you out to a nice dinner if you dissect stuff with my kids when the time comes.
Good Literature
This first post will be short. My 3-year-old is hanging off my arm and giving me the not-so-subtle signal that I have spent too much time on the computer and now need to pay attention to more important things. Like getting dressed and out of the house.
Most ideas in teaching are not new. We borrow from each other. We exchange information. The most important lesson I learned as a teacher was that you can't do it alone. You need mentors and friends to bounce ideas off of. So if you are new to teaching or homeschooling, please find a mentor!
So, here's no exception to the rule. One of my fellow playdate moms shared this website with me via email. Here it is: www.bfbooks.com. Beautiful Feet books. They have an online catalog where you can search for individual books or actual literature units. The great thing is that all the books on this website are GOOD books. Good for teaching, character training, social studies, science, etc... They list many award winning books on their website. I poked around and had to restrain myself from buying books my daughter won't need for another 5 years.
You gotta love a good literature website. Thanks, Katie, for sharing.
Lisa
"Not all who wander are lost." -J.R.R. Tolkien
Most ideas in teaching are not new. We borrow from each other. We exchange information. The most important lesson I learned as a teacher was that you can't do it alone. You need mentors and friends to bounce ideas off of. So if you are new to teaching or homeschooling, please find a mentor!
So, here's no exception to the rule. One of my fellow playdate moms shared this website with me via email. Here it is: www.bfbooks.com. Beautiful Feet books. They have an online catalog where you can search for individual books or actual literature units. The great thing is that all the books on this website are GOOD books. Good for teaching, character training, social studies, science, etc... They list many award winning books on their website. I poked around and had to restrain myself from buying books my daughter won't need for another 5 years.
You gotta love a good literature website. Thanks, Katie, for sharing.
Lisa
"Not all who wander are lost." -J.R.R. Tolkien
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